Courses start September 1st for the new Beauty Industry Essentials certificate program, are self-paced, and students can register for and begin the program at any time once it launches next month.
“I hear from so many young people who dream of working in beauty but don’t know how to make that dream a reality,” Allure editor Michelle Lee says in a media release about the online learning initiative. “What I love about this program is the real power it has to make a career in beauty more attainable to more young people who have the passion but don’t know how to translate that passion into a career.”
Virginia Bonofiglio, assistant professor and associate chair of FIT’s Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing program, agrees: “There are tremendous career opportunities for beauty specialists,” she tells the press. “The challenge for many aspiring professionals is finding the way in.”
Beauty curriculum
For now, the program comprises 7 courses that run for only 2 – 3 hours each:
- Introduction to the Beauty Industry
- The Cosmetics World and Beauty Artistry
- The Business of Fragrance
- Beauty Product Knowledge and Development
- Designing Beauty – Packaging and Presentation
- Beauty Marketing and Merchandising
- Beauty Media
9 FIT faculty are involved in course instruction and development, as are nearly 20 beauty industry experts including Bobbi Brown; Juliet Falchi, director of global product development at MAC Cosmetics; and Linda Song, a perfumer with Givaudan.
The full course program costs $750 and FIT is offering students a payment plan.
Support network
The new non-credit certificate beauty program is an initiative of the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies at FIT.
Rob Kingyens, CEO of Qubed Education, the online learning platform supporting the FIT / Allure Beauty Industry Essentials certificate program, notes in his remarks to the press that “our mission is to help young people pursue a career path that aligns to their passions. This program does just that by bringing together the incomparable credibility of FIT, Allure, and beauty industry leaders to deliver an enjoyable and engaging learning experience that students can fit into their lives on their terms.”